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On Roz Chast

 Many picture books I like feature just one eccentric character as a source of comedy: Toad, Rotten Ralph, some cantankerous Jon Klassen protagonists, and Sal in "Blueberries for Sal."


Roz Chast belongs in this group. The figure she makes of herself--"Roz"--is as absurd as Arnold Lobel's Toad. In a new book, "I Must Be Dreaming," Roz lives with various dirty secrets. For example: She steals a sock display, and though her conscience requires her to return the display, she keeps one pair of forbidden socks. Also, she talks Danny DeVito into a marriage, and though she doesn't love him, she secretly believes she can live off "the pleasant feeling of being adored."


Finally, Roz sneaks into a "ladies only" pool party, for a famous actress, and she interrupts a high-stakes conversation to talk about her home-made shoe.


I love this woman--I think she is the product of a brilliant mind--and she makes me feel just a bit less alone in the world.








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